Favignana tuna - Former Florio factory

During your summer holiday in Favignana, a visit to the ex Florio factory or the Tonnara di Favignana will certainly not be missing, to live a journey into the thriving past of the tonnara and what it represented for the economic development of the island of Favignana.

The factory was the place where the equipment, anchors and boats of the slaughterhouse were kept. The Tonnara di Favignana, officially called Ex Florio Factory of the tuna traps of Favignana and Formica, is an ancient tuna trap, with an adjoining establishment for the conservation of fish, located in Favignana, one of the three magnificent islands of the Egadi archipelago.

With its 32 thousand square meters, 3/4 of which are covered, it is one of the largest tuna traps in the Mediterranean. The Florio family in 1841 rented the tonnara for the slaughter from the Pallavicini family of Genoa. Purchased the islands of Favignana and Formica and acquired fishing rights in 1874, by Ignazio Florio who called the architect Giuseppe Damiani Almeyda and enlarged and restructured the tonnara, building the factory for the conservation of tuna.

In fact, he had introduced the revolutionary method of storing tuna in oil after boiling and canning. The tuna cut into pieces was cooked in 24 large boilers, still visible today, and subsequently left to dry. In another large room the milk was processed, using machines and sealers. At the universal exhibition of 1891-92 Florio also presented innovative tin boxes with key opening.

With the construction of the plant, the renewed impetus given to fishing and marketing of bluefin tuna on the main national and foreign markets was amply rewarded by the success, both in terms of image and profit. The works, started by the technicians of the Superintendence for Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Trapani, ended in 2010, making it a splendid example of industrial archeology. Inside, a space is intended as a museum, with multimedia rooms, and various ethno-cultural events are carried out in the rest.

Admission is only in paid guided groups.